Introduction
In the United States, the process of enacting a bill and ensuring that it becomes law is complex and has several essential stages. More specifically, The United States House of Representatives, the Senate, and the President have to approve any bill before it can become a law, and each legislation undergoes several stages of review. This paper aims to evaluate the process of creating a bill and implementing it as a law.
The Process
The United States House of Representatives is in charge of creating and presenting bills. As such, this is an essential element of the United States governmental system, because any citizen who wants to propose an idea for new legislation should contact one of the Representatives. He or she will look into the issue and determine if it is suitable for further development, and if they perceive it as important, the Representative will begin collecting more information and drafting a bill (“How a Bill Becomes a Law”).
Thus, this stage of bill development involves a Representative who writes a bill. This process suggests that an issue that can potentially become law must be severe enough for several Representatives to support a bill addressing it, which potentially mitigates the possibility of enacting unnecessary laws. It is essential because it provides an opportunity to dedicate time and effort to resolve problems that several Representatives considered crucial for the country.
Next, it is necessary to find a sponsor and ensure that other representatives support the proposed legislation. To achieve this, the Representative who wrote the bill can talk to other Representatives, present them the issue, and the ideas to obtain their support. Once the support from other Representatives is received and the sponsor is found, the bill can be introduced. Each bill is assigned with a number, which begins with two letters – H. R. (“How a Bill Becomes a Law”). A clerk is responsible for assigning each legislation that is put in the box inside his or her desk with a number. After this, all Representatives can hear the bill before it is sent to an appropriate committee.
Committees are vital because they consist of several House Representatives who are specialists in a specific field. As such, they possess the necessary expertise and knowledge for examining the bill, and they can review or even revise it (“How a Bill Becomes a Law”). This process is essential because the bill is evaluated by professionals and can be sent for additional examination by a sub-committee. However, if the committee approves of this bill, it is then sent to the House floor.
Before the Representatives can vote on a specific bill, the debate and discuss any necessary changes to each section (“How a Bill Becomes a Law”). After this, if the majority votes for a bill, it is sent to the Senate, where it undergoes similar stages of review, discussion, and changes. After a successful vote by voice, the President can either sign this bill and make it a law or veto it. In the case of a veto, the Senate can have another vote to try and override it.
Conclusion
Overall, each bill goes through multiple stages of reviews, discussions, and changes before it becomes law. In general, the process of a bill becoming a law in the United States allows any citizen to share ideas and thoughts with the representatives. However, because this is a complex process with several stages, and requires approval from the House Representatives, one can argue that only significant problems are reviewed and can be resolved.
Work Cited
“How a Bill Becomes a Law.” Kids in the House. Web.